Follow-up on Goldberg

Here's a review of the Abramovic/Levit concert at the Armory in New York. With really great photos.

An Abramovic installation you can try at home

For Goldberg, pianist Igor Levit has teamed up with Marina Abramovic to enhance the experience around listening to music. The centerpiece is Levit's live performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations, but Abramovic has designed the process. Attendees will first put all of their distractions, like phones and watches, into a locker. Then they will sit in a comfy chair, in the dark, for about half an hour. Wearing noise-cancelling headphones. Not until then, when listeners have nothing to do but listen, will Levit begin playing.

While you're not likely to get Levit into your home, you can recreate the rest of the process. Before listening to an album, try getting rid of all distractions and sitting alone in the dark first. See if the concentration helps the experience. I'll try this soon, with Simone Dinnerstein's recording, and report back.